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The sky is not the limit
PART 3: The sky is not the limit
As the Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys exhibition wraps up at MCASD, we reflect on the many facets of the term “giants.”
In our cultural landscape, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys have stood as giants through their music. And for both of them, all artists are giants. Here at MCASD, our giants are not only distinguished in their craft but also their commitment to enriching their San Diego community.
Giants is a celebration of the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy art, cultivate a relationship with creativity, and build their own artistic community. Our giants of San Diego go beyond creating art, but also nurturing it through collecting, teaching, skill-sharing, facilitating workshops, mentoring youth, and actively participating in the building of new networks and connections for their community. As mentioned in Giants, “The sky is not the limit—it’s just the view.”
For the final part of the “Giants of San Diego” digital series, we want to share a question that we asked all our featured giants: What are your hopes for the Black San Diego arts community?
Here’s what they shared:
“In the last 30 years that I’ve been practicing as an artist, I have seen growth in the reception of art and art product in San Diego; but the fact is still that I sell more work across the country than here. I wish there were even more support for artists on the West Coast, and in particular, in San Diego."
“We need more public sculpture and not all of it should be non-representational. It’s fun to see lots of things that are different, but we need more realistic work as well. I get the feeling that sometimes it’s safer to do abstract artwork because you don’t have to worry about whether you’re offending someone or not, but being safe is not always the best thing to do. It doesn’t help your community grow.”
“The hopes are that we gain a deeper appreciation of the value of art. And when I say that, I don’t say that from just a western mentality. Art carries energy—I'm talking about painting, music, dance, theater. This energy is really valuable and will add to the benefit of your life.”
“My best hope is for San Diego to open a new maker space. Since I’ve been in San Diego, I’ve been on a huge search just looking around for places where I could use these tools and learn and teach these skills. I had first joined Maker Place—and that was one of the best jobs I've ever had in my life, and I had an incredible community—but then they went out of business... I keep running into people that ask me where they can learn the skills that I know, and I can’t point them in the right direction. All I can do is point them to places that used to be here.”
“There are little pockets of artists in different neighborhoods. San Diego is kind of spread out. Maybe we can be more aware of what’s going on in each neighborhood—whether that’s through a calendar or a flyer of open houses of art walks. I want to meet more Black artists here.”
“My hopes for San Diego are that we can build more of an infrastructure with media outlets and more investment—just more support so artists can thrive in this area. San Diego is a beautiful city, but there’s not many artists thriving by selling their work. And even I do way better when I go outside of San Diego. I just hope that San Diego makes some changes to support their artists.”
Thanks for keeping up with "Giants of San Diego." We hope that you enjoyed this series, connected with our local artists, and that you visit Giants one more time before it closes on August 9.
Credits:
Executive Producer: Willa M.; Producer: Imani Camara, Lena Shareef; Writer: Willa M.; Photographer: TIKA; Graphic Design Lead: Hailey Honegger; Graphic Design: Alejandro Mendoza Mercado; Editor: Lena Shareef; PA: Melissa Zuazo